Folding mechanism for use in rotary printing machines



Nov. 5, 19 5- c. G. QUICK ET AL FOLDING MECHANISM FOR USE IN ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 17, 1954 INV ENTORS.

64% ca MAM Patented Nov. 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE FOLDING MECHANISM FOR USE IN ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES Application February 17, 1934, Serial No. 711,672. In Great Britain February 21, 1933 11 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in folding mechanism for use in rotary printing machines arranged to deliver a' stapled product.

The invention is more particularly concerned Y 5 with that type of folding mechanism comprising folding rollers into the bite of which the product to be folded is passed.

One object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement in which the number of parts required in a stapling and folding mechanism can be reduced.

According to the present invention there is provided an arrangement comprising a cylinder which constitutes a stapling cylinder and also a folding roller co-operating with a second folding roller. l

The invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing which is a diagrammatic elevation partly in section.

l represents a folding cylinder with which cooperates a cylinder 2 which also co-operates with a roller 3: the folding cylinder I is provided with sheet taking pins i which are operated to take sheets around with the cylinder I; the cylinder 2 is provided with stapling plungers 5 which cooperate with a stationary staple forming horn B to form staples and to insert them through the sheets on the cylinder I, the staples being bent over on to the sheets by a die 1' on the cylinder I. The folding cylinder l is also provided with folding off members or blades 8 which operate as the. cylinder l rotates to force the stapled sheets into the nip between the cylinder 2 and the roller 3, this cylinder and roller thus effecting a fold in the sheets.

It will be seen by arranging the cylinder 2 to function both as what is termed a stapling cylinder and as a folding-off roller, economy in space is effected as compared with the commonly employed arrangement in which there are provided two folding-off rollers and a separate stapling cylinder.

This arrangement enables two rotary cutting mechanisms to be grouped around the folding cylinder: one cutting mechanism is provided for cutting into sections associated webs indicated at 9 and comprises a knife cylinder in having a knife H arranged for cooperation with gutters l2 carried by the folding cylinder; the sections severed by the knife ll being taken by the pins 4 on the cylinder I. This cylinder may also be provided with pins [3 which may be operated to enable collection to be effected by carrying around with the cylinders ll] sheets which have been severed by the knife ll, these sections being associated with the following part of the webs as they pass to the knife I l which severs the succeeding web length into sections: it will be understood that when collection is being effected pins d on the cylinder are rendered inoperative until collection is effected, the pins 4 then being operated to take the collected sections. The second cutting mechanism is provided for cutting either a second run of associated webs M or a single web which may constitute the cover of the product: this second mechanism comprises a gutter cylinder I5 having a gutter It with which co-operates a knife I! carried by a cutting cylinder (8: the gutter cylinder I5 is, like the knife cylinder It! provided with pins E9 to enable col lection of the webs passing to the cylinder to be effected. The single associated or collected web sections on the cylinder I5 are taken from this cylinder by the pins 4 on the folding cylinder at which time this web section or sections are associated with those taken from the cylinder it.

As in certain products the thickness of the sections passing around with the cylinder I may be considerable, the periphery of the cylinder l 5 is preferably constituted by pads 23 which are carried by spring 2| enabling the pads to yield.

In order to complete the fold formed by the folding roller 3, and the co-operating stapling cylinder 2 there is provided an additional pair of rollers 23, 23 to which the products are passed from the first folding arrangement; in order to guide the products to this second folding arrangement there are provided guides 24 which extend between the two folding arrangements and guides may also be provided at 25 to extend partly around the folding cylinder to control the products as they are withdrawn from the folding cylinder. These guides are carried by a carrier 26 which is spring loaded by a spring 21. These guides are also adjustable for which purpose the guides are carried by a pin 28 on the carrier, the guides each having a locking bolt 29 which when released enables the guides 45 it a wedge piece 35 slidable on a part 35 of the main frame and having an actuating bolt 3'! thus when this bolt is actuated, the frame 34 is caused to rise or fall (i. e. towards or away from the roller) it will be observed that, due to the positioning and slope of the wedge, this movement of the cylinder 2 will not affect the distance between this cylinder and the folding cylinder I. In order to enable this latter distance to be varied, there is provided a second actuating bolt 38. A locking bolt 39 is provided by means of which the frame 34 and wedge piece 35 may be locked in position and two scales 40, 4|, are provided by means of which the extent of adjustment may be gauged.

As the various mechanisms (e. g. the pin mechanism, the folding blade mechanism and the stapling mechanisms) may be arranged to operate in any well known manner, it is believed to be unnecessary togive a detailed description thereof. In the case of the pins 4 on the cylinder I, these are preferably mounted for oscillatory movement in the folding cylinder and the orientation of the movement is such that the pins move to release the product in the same sense (i. e. opposite to the direction of rotation of the folding cylinder) as the leading edge of the product, as the product is taken from the cylinder by the projection of the folding member 8, thus enabling the pins to retain control of the product for the maximum period without, however, tearing the product. 7

It will be apparent that the invention provides for an arrangement of cylinders which would otherwise be difiicult if not impossible to accommodate especially in cases where the thickness of the product is such as to require the webs to be cut in separate groups which are associated to be stapled together and a small folding cylinder is employed: the grouping of the cylinders around the folding cylinders leaves little room for the accommodation of the normal two roller folder arrangement whereas by arranging one of the folding rollers to be constituted by the stapling cylinder an equivalent function is obtained. The invention also provides for a reduction in the number of parts by reason of the dual function of the stapling cylinder.

The arrangement readily enables the folding roller and cylinder to be located to one side of the vertical centre line of the folding cylinder so that the products can be folded off at an angle to the vertical direct into a tray or bucket delivery which is itself carried by inclined chains or the like.

An arrangement according to the invention may be employed for use in producing any class of stapled and folded product and while the invention is primarily concerned with delivering products of the magazine class, for which class the tray delivery would be employed it may also be employed for producing stapled products of the newspaper class. In this latter case, the webs would usually be led over former folders before passing to the cutting cylinders and moreover the tray or bucket delivery would be replaced by a fly delivery to which the products would be forwarded by the folding roller arrangements.

What we claim is:

1. A rotary member, folding-off means carried by the member, a die member carried by the rotary member, a second rotary member, a staple forming member carried by the second rotary member and arranged for co-operation with the die member, and a folding roller mounted for 00- operation with the second rotary member to constitute therewith a pair of rotary folding members to which the folding-off means delivers a product to be folded.

2. A folding mechanism comprising in combination a folding cylinder, a folding-off member carried thereby, a folding roller, and a stapling cylinder which co-operates with the folding cylinder to insert a staple in a product to be folded and which also co-operates with the roller to constitute therewith a pair of rotary folding members to which the folding-off means is arranged to deliver a product stapled by the stapling cyl inder.

3. The combination of a folding cylinder, a folding-off member and sheet taking devices carried thereby, three cylinders grouped around the folding cylinder, two of the three cylinders constituting one part of a rotary cutting mechanism which severs webs led thereto, the severed sections being taken by the sheet taking devices, and the third cylinder constituting a stapling cylinder which co-operates with the folding cylinder to staple sections on the folding cylinder, and a roller which co-operates with the folding cylinder to form therewith a folding roller arrangement to which the folding-off member delivers the stapled sections.

4. A folding mechanism comprising in combination a folding cylinder, a folding-off member carried thereby, a folding roller, a stapling cylinder which co-operates with the folding cylinder to insert a staple in a product to be folded and which also co-operates with the roller to constitute therewith a pair of rotary folding members to which the folding-off means is arranged to deliver a product stapled by the stapling cylinder, a pair of rollers to which the sections are led to complete the fold formed by the first roller and stapling cylinder and guide means extending between these rollers and the cooperating first roller and stapling cylinder.

5. The combination of a folding cylinder, a folding-off member and sheet taking devices carried thereby, three cylinders grouped around the folding cylinder, two of the three cylinders constituting one part of a rotary cutting mechanism which severs webs led thereto, the severed sections being taken by the sheet taking devices, and the third cylinder constituting a stapling cyllnder which co-operates with the folding cylinder to staple sections on the folding cylinder, a roller which co-operates with the stapling cylinder to form therewith a folding roller arrangement to which the folding-off member delivers the stapled.

sections, a pair of rollers to which the sections are led to complete the fold formed by the first roller and stapling cylinder, and guide means extending between these rollers and the co-operating first roller and stapling cylinder.

6. A folding mechanism comprising in combination a folding cylinder, 2. folding-off member carried thereby, a folding roller, a stapling cylinder which co-operates with the folding cylinder to insert a staple in a product to be folded and which also co-operates with the roller to constitute therewith a pair of rotary folding members to which the folding-off means is arranged to deliver a product stapled by the stapling cylinder, a pair of rollers to which the sections are led to complete the fold formed by the first roller and stapling cylinder and guide means extending between these rollers and the co-operating first roller and stapling cylinder, and spring means which operate on the guide means to permit the guide means to yield.

'7. The combination of a folding cylinder, at folding-off member and sheet taking devices carried thereby, three cylinders grouped around the folding cylinder, two of the three cylinders constituting one part of a rotary cutting mechanism which severs webs led thereto, the severed sections being taken by the sheet taking devices, and the third cylinder constituting a stapling cylinder which co-operates with the folding cylinder to staple sections on the folding cylinder, a roller which co-operates with the stapling cylinder to form therewith a folding roller arrangement to which the folding-off member delivers the stapled sections, a pair of rollers to which the sections are led to complete the fold formed by the first roller and stapling cylinder, guide means extending between these rollers and the co-operating first roller and stapling cylinder and spring means which operate on the guide means to permit the guide means to yield.

8. The combination of a folding cylinder", a folding-off member rotatably carried by the cylinder, a die member carried by the cylinder, a cutting abutment carried by the cylinder, sheet taking devices carried by the cylinder, three cylinders grouped around the folding cylinder, at first cylinder having a cutting member which co-operates with the cutting abutment on the folding cylinder to cut a web into sections which are taken by the sheet taking devices, the second cylinder having a cutting abutment and sheet taking devices, a further cylinder having a cutting member co-operating with the abutment on the said second cylinder to cut an additional web into sections which are taken by the sheet taking devices on the said second cylinder and delivered thereby to the devices on the folding cylinder, and the third cylinder having a staple forming member which co-operates with the die member to insert a staple in the sections carried. by the folding cylinder, and a roller which cooperates with the said third cylinder to form therewith a pair of rotary folding members to which the folding-off member delivers the stapled sections.

9. An arrangement as claimed in claim 8 and in which the first cylinder is provided with sheet taking devices and whereby this cylinder can function as a collecting cylinder.

10. A folding mechanism comprising in combination a folding cylinder, a folding-off member carried thereby, a folding roller, a stapling cylinder which co-operates with the folding cylinder to insert a staple in a product to be folded and which also co-operates with the roller to constitute therewith a pair of rotary folding members to which the folding-off means is arranged to deliver a product stapled by the stapling cylinder, a two part support for the stapling cylinder, and means whereby the said two parts may be adjusted to effect an adjustment between the stapling cylinder and the roller and also between the stapling cylinder and the folding cylinder.

11. A folding mechanism comprising in combination a folding cylinder, a folding-01f member carried thereby, a folding roller, a stapling cylinder which co-operates with the folding cylinder to insert a staple in a product to be folded and which also cooperates with the roller to constitute therewith a pair of rotary folding members to which the folding-off means is arranged to deliver a product stapled by the stapling cylinder, and means whereby the stapling cylinder can be adjusted in two directions to vary its distance with respect to the folding cylinder and roller.

CECIL GEORGE QUICK. DONALD ARTHUR BALL. WILLIAM ARNOLD WHITEHEAD. 

